Hampton School Ends Anniversary Celebrations with Thanksgiving Service

The Hampton School in St. Elizabeth ended its yearlong 150th anniversary celebrations on December 7, with a service of thanksgiving at the Chapel located on the school campus.
The occasion was used to highlight the academic success of the students and the work of the alumnae, and thank the many sponsors and supporters of the institution over the years.
President of the Hampton Old Girls Association (HOGA), Naomi Holness, informed that the yearlong celebrations served to highlight the things that the school has done well in. She noted that 150 years is a long time, and many good things have happened, and there are a lot of people to be thanked.
“There are legacies of principals, staff members, the Parent Teachers Association and the Board. Our girls have benefited tremendously from contributions made by different people, and events during the year captured the history and development of our school,” she stated.
Chairman of the Board of Governors, Donna Parchment-Brown, told the gathering that “here at Hampton, we have an excellent staff, and that is part of what contributed to the success of our students.”
Lamenting the increase in violence against children, she noted that during the year “we had to provide critical support and reassurance to the students, and we hope that 2009 will be a year that children going to school will have less fear, and be able to give full concentration to their education.”
In her address, Counselling Psychologist, Yvonne Foster, called on Jamaicans to “be determined in our personal journeys. Let’s take the high road in whatever we do, abandoning hate and greed and give full meaning to life in saying ‘peace and goodwill to all men’.”